“Broken Country” is set for a Sept. 18 limited release in Canada and the U.S., with director Mira Metter arguing two decades of policy failures have left Canadians struggling with healthcare, housing, drugs, crime and public services.
4,500 Canadians and more than 70 policy experts were interviewed for the film, which presents hardship as broad-based rather than partisan and says similar complaints surfaced across the country.
15 hours in an emergency wait left one man with permanent spinal cord damage, Metter said; after a 10-month wait for pain treatment, he was offered Medical Assistance in Dying instead.
23,000 patients died on Canadian medical waitlists over the past year, according to advocacy group SecondStreet.org, while Metter also links resource strain to roughly 2.3 million arrivals over two years in a country of 40 million.
Oct. 26 is the date the documentary is due on Amazon Prime, extending a critique that directly challenges Canada's long-marketed image as a progressive model for the United States.